Pain in nail bed after knocking against something, lasts for days, do not have false nails, nails look healthy.

i get really bad pain in my nail beds on my left hand, this occurs if i knock them against anything,even slightly,like putting my hand in my handbag! and then the pain can last for days. I dont have false nails, and the nails look healthy.

I shall make an effort to provide you with good professional recommendations specific to your questions.

Some nail conditions like infections of the nail bed - paronychia might be possible in early stage. You may not see pus yet but the movement of the nail causes pain. Observe closely and see if there is any redness in the area of the nail bed.

Try warm water baths for a couple of minutes, and mild skin pulling away from nail bed massaging.

If persistent beyond some days, get help with a doctor as you might then need prescription antibiotics to kill any lurking bacteria.

Yet again, I duly appreciate your query to me, I do hope that you have found something useful to help you and I shall be glad to answer any further apprehensions.

Follow-up: Pain in nail bed after knocking against something, lasts for days, do not have false nails, nails look healthy. 1 hour later

Thank you for your answer, however I am sure it is not an infection. I have been aware of it for some months now, there is no redness, or swelling, and it affects all the fingers on the one hand, as I knocked it last night, I am now having pain down my arm. I feel that all my nails on that hand are extreamly sensitive. Are there any conditions associated with this condition? I am a nurse myself, and I am sure I would recognize any signs of infection.

Answered by Dr. Sujeet N Charugulla 5 hours later

answer Id 25920; conversation id 25920

Hi again and thanks for the reply.

That will help. Yes, it may not be a full blown paronychia for sure as you reason, I mentioned hence as an early stage.

Anyway, other possibilities include vitamin and mineral deficiencies which might have been long standing. Being a health professional yourself, I believe you can look into your typical diet pattern and realize what you have been missing on. Make a note of them. Riboflavin and Tocopherol deficiencies usually are common, and supplements might help sometimes.

Another practical possibility I can give you in here, is in the case that you are regularly applying nail polish, or if you have changed colours/brand/ polish removers - anything that has powerful chemicals in them are likely to alter the softness and hardness of the nail making the extremely sensitive nail bed to respond appropriately. Try this too - Peel off the soft gelatin Vitamin E capsules and put the oil directly on the nail bed.